All that dazzle is luxury: Mahul Brahma’s Decoding Luxe takes you beyond veil of dazzle

Luxury has its origin in the word “luxe”, which means ‘dazzle’. So anything that dazzles is luxury.

Journalist-turned-communicator Mahul Brahma’s book Decoding Luxe is all about looking beyond this veil of dazzle.

Luxury has its origin in the word “luxe”, which means ‘dazzle’. So anything that dazzles is luxury. Journalist-turned-communicator Mahul Brahma’s book Decoding Luxe is all about looking beyond this veil of dazzle. The book explores the various facets of luxury, giving the subject a holistic perspective, especially in the Indian context. Decoding Luxe gives a historical background as to how India had an age-old love affair with branded luxury—in the 1920s, 20% of Rolls-Royce’s global sales were from India. The book says a retailer needs to understand that although the Indian luxury consumer is price-sensitive, you have to sell ‘dazzle’ or ‘value-for-label’, not ‘value-for-money’. The book also talks about the failure of e-commerce in luxury, the reason being that luxury shopping is purely experiential.

Brahma suggests that ‘luxury escape’ is the next billion-dollar opportunity for retailers, as escapement has always been a very dominant reason behind people’s love for luxury. Decoding Luxe is very different from existing literature on luxury, which consists primarily of catalogues. The author has a lucid and jargon-free style of explaining strategic moves in the luxury market, with a dash of humour. The book is a must-read for luxury retailers and students who want to understand the Indian market and consumers better.